Pet Force- Team of Six
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: A new team member is added to Pet Force: Garfield and Arlene's daughter.
1. Birth

Disclaimer: I don't own Garfield or Pet Force. I do, however, own Merine.  
  
Author's note: This is my first attempt at a Pet Force fic. I hope at least somebody out there likes it.  
  
* * * *  
  
Garfield the cat worriedly paced the waiting room's floor. His path crossed with an equally worried Jon, who wrung his wrists as he paced. Garfield knew that pacing was as good as exercise, which he absolutely despised, but at the moment he didn't care. What he did care about was that somewhere down that hall that he could see out of the corner of his eye, his vet Liz was helping Arlene give birth to his kitten.  
  
When Jon noticed Arlene was getting big, he brought her and Garfield to Liz to see what was happening to Arlene. After a few tests, Liz determined that Arlene was going to have kittens. She told Jon to bring Arlene back when she starts going into labor, because she knew how incredibly naïve and clueless he can be when these types of situations occur.  
  
At first, Garfield acted as if nothing was new. Then, as Arlene got bigger, he began to accept the fact that the kitten was existing and was his. He brought her food to her, helped her get up in the mornings, and helped her move around the house in general. Nermal was overjoyed to learn that another kitten was going to be taken into the house, and explained the situation to Odie until he finally understood what was happening to Arlene. Garfield was thankful, that during those crucial months, Odie, Nermal, Pooky, Arlene and himself were never called back into Emperor Jon's universe.  
  
When the big moment came, Jon was, of course, oblivious to the fact that Arlene's water had broke. It took the combined noise of Garfield, Nermal, and Odie to lead him to Arlene so he could get her to the vet.  
  
It had now been hours since they had arrived, and were now all waiting for the word. Minutes seemed like hours and hours seemed like days. The tension was so thick and the waiting room was so quiet that the sound of a pin drop would make everybody jump out of their skins.  
  
Garfield guessed that's why he nearly attached himself to the ceiling when Doctor Liz cleared her throat from the doorway.  
  
~  
  
Arlene looked very tired but happy. Her eyes were half closed from fatigue, but were also filled with love for her new kitten. Garfield carefully approached her, and gave her a small smile as she looked at him.  
  
"How are you feeling, Arlene?"  
  
She smiled a tired smile at him. "I'm exhausted, but look at our kitten." She looked at the little kitten that was drinking heartily from her mother. "Isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"  
  
Garfield could only smile at the little ball of fur. Her eyes weren't open yet. She had fur the same color as Arlene's, but had black stripes like her father. Garfield's chest swelled with pride. He carefully laid beside the towel Arlene and their kitten were laying on, touching his nose to hers.  
  
~  
  
Jon smiled down at Garfield and Arlene.  
  
"Aw, isn't that precious?"  
  
Liz smiled at the cat couple, then turned to Jon. Her smile faded. "Mr. Arbuckle, there were some complications during birth."  
  
Jon turned to face her, looking a little confused. "What do you mean? What happened?"  
  
"There were a total of three kittens in Arlene. The kitten you see in front of you now was the runt of the litter. She was much smaller than the other two and therefore was the first to come out."  
  
"So?"  
  
Liz put a hand on Jon's left shoulder. "The other two were too big. By the time we got them out, it was too late. I'm sorry, Jon."  
  
Jon's eyes welled up with tears at this news. Jon, being Jon, found the situation heartbreaking.  
  
~  
  
Garfield had listened in on Jon and Liz's short conversation. Shocked, he turned to Arlene. "Is that true?"  
  
A small, hot tear ran down Arlene's face. "Yes. They both looked just like you when she finally managed to get them out. I still can't believe-"  
  
Garfield cut her off by gently rubbing his cheek against hers in a kitty hug.  
  
"Oh Garfield!" Arlene buried her face in Garfield's neck. Garfield gently wrapped his tail around her shaking shoulders as their newborn kitten gently curled up into a little ball against her mother and fell asleep, her fur beginning to dry.  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Well, what did you think? I hoped you liked it. This is just the first chapter; more chapters are to come. The next chapter will take place a few months after this one. 


	2. The Glowing Comic

Disclaimer: Only own Merine.

Author's Note: Eons later, I update. Yeah. Kudos to TabbyGirl Toby for giving me a good kick to get me going again!

_Chapter 2: The Glowing Comic_

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIING- SMASH tinkle tinkle_

An orange, furry fist shot out from the mass of blankets in the box bed, smashing the alarm clock in one downward swing. A few moments later the large form within shifted, burrowing his way out of the cloth and peeking an eye out at the world outside.

It was morning. _Great._

After a few more moments of hesitation he stepped out of the self-made tunnel, drawn out by the smell of his food dish nearby. It was pretty much the only reason he got up in the mornings, other than to begin his daily routine of pestering Jon.

Just as he was about to sit down to inhale his meal he felt something clamp onto his tail, pulling it down to the floor. This had surprised him a little, and he quickly glanced behind himself to see a younger, similarly striped cat- a little over six months old in age- looking up at him with big eyes. She was on her back, her front paws around his tail and just managing to look over the large black tip. She smiled happily at him.

'Morning Daddy!'

Rather than chastise her for pouncing on his tail, or for even disturbing him while he was about to eat, he did the next best thing- he sat down anyway.

All the happiness in her face disappeared when she felt his weight settle on her tail. Her front paws flailed as she twisted around in an attempt to escape, her small claws digging into the floor as she tried to pull herself free.

'Daaaaaaaad!… You're on my tail!'

'I know,' came the nonchalant response as he started to eat.

After a few more attempts, she gave up and inhaled deeply for her next resort.

'MOM!'

Arlene came quickly trotting around the corner, knowing full well what was going on. This wasn't the first time her daughter had called for help while being pinned by her father, nor would it be the last.

'Garfield, how many times do I have to tell you to NOT sit on her!' came her admonishment as she shoved the fat cat over, making him topple onto his side.

Now free, the adolescent kitten took a few steps away before sitting to lick the fur on her tail straight.

'But she was bothering me first!' came his rebuttal in his defense.

Arlene rolled her eyes. Out of all the cats to live with…

Her tail fur sufficiently straightened, the kitten looked between her parents. 'Where's Jon?' She hadn't seen him yet that morning, and he would usually occupy himself during this time by dragging a string around the house for her to chase. It was an activity she enjoyed, as sometimes her mother would even join in.

'Having breakfast with Liz, I think,' came her mother's answer as she sat down beside her. 'He should be back soon.'

Garfield sighed in disgust, clearly jealous of the human's amount of attention being given to the woman. 'Great. That just leaves us with the mutt and-'

The door to the house suddenly burst open.

'IT'S HERE!'

The orange tabby tensed and lowered his head in annoyance at the sound. '… Nermal.'

The streak of gray was fast to approach the group, almost not stopping in time. Excitedly he clutched a magazine in his paws- the latest issue of Pet Force- and practically bounced around them.

'It's here; it's here; it's here! Merine! Check it out!'

The kitten bounded after the gray cat as they moved towards the living room, jumping up onto the couch- Merine with more effort- and both sitting down to read it together. Carefully Nermal removed it from the package and opened it to the first page.

Merine studied the first page, which was a one-panel illustration. It showed Garzooka- the muscle-bound leader- locked in a struggle with a large dog. Her head tilted to one side slightly in thought. She had always thought that the superhero looked a bit like her dad, but had never thought much of it beyond a strange coincidence. Nermal turned the page.

'Alright!' he cheered, seeing the superhero of the battling duo gaining the upper hand in the next panel.

Arlene and Garfield soon followed, the latter bringing with him the brown teddy bear Pooky. The pair had begun another one of the "duel of the words" and were tossing snide comments and insults back and forth as Garfield prepared to settle down for a nap on the chair. Odie was apparently participating in a viscous staring contest with the wall, and seemed otherwise preoccupied. All in all, a rather average morning within the Arbuckle household.

Until the special edition, extra-sized, glow-in-the-dark, foil-covered 100th issue of Pet Force hanging on the wall began to glow.

The illumination caught their attention, and they all turned to look at the disturbance. Merine wasn't quite sure what to think; after all, it wasn't everyday a comic book began to glow in broad daylight. Unsure as to how to react, she turned her attention to the others. They appeared just as surprised as she was, staring at it with disbelief. Nermal turned towards Garfield and Arlene.

'Why now?!' he asked, sounding a bit frantic.

_What?_

Before the kitten could voice her question, the glowing turned into a brilliant flash that filled the room, swallowing her whole and blinding her…

_To be continued…_

Author's Note: Short chapter, but I got it started at least. Need ideas for a baddie; any suggestions would be appreciated. I have a basic idea of how I want things to go, so all I need to do is work out the details.


End file.
